************************Stenodactylus Care Sheet************************
All information provided in this Care Sheet is from first hand experience with one or more of the below Subspecies.
Subspecies
Sthenodactylus, Petrii, Affinis, Arabicus, Doriae, Grandiceps, Khobarensis, Leptocosymbotus, Silvini.
There are more Subspecies but they are extremely rare and are protected within the countries they are found, as are many of the above named Subspecies.
Description:
The colour of these small clawed gecko's varies from dark brown to light gray, beige and dark brown being the most common colours. The back is covered with small spots with darker spots overlapping and the underbelly being white or beige, as they get closer to a shed the colouration gradually changes getting lighter.
These gecko's "Wag" thier tails, they also chirp but its no louder than your average cricket chirp, they also tend to burrow for days at a time if there is adequate space, so dont be alarmed if you havent seen your gecko for a couple of days, if they are dug down and miss a feeding either put the food into the Vivarium while they are burrowing or just wait till they surface before feeding.
Housing in Captivity:
Due to the small size of these gecko's 2 to 4 can be kept in 10 gallon vivarium, however if multiple males are housed in close proximity one male will become dominant and prevent the other male(s) from mating.
The only Substrate used should be a two to three inch deep layer of sand.
NOT CALCI-SAND ITS DEADLY, Why? Because although it may be edible and gecko's may enjoy eating it, its indigestible and causes Impaction which blocks the intestinal tract of the gecko until it either bursts, dies of malnourishment or starvation due to food not being digested properly.
If you dont Believe me, enter "The dangers of Calci-Sand" into a search engine and see for yourself.
I personally use paper towel tubes (the centre cardboard piece) cut in half as a hide, aswell as a few homemade hides.
MAJOR HEADS UP!! These gecko's dig so avoid using decor that could fall on top of them when they try to burrow, I recommend using artificial rocks and hides made of polystyrene or other extremely light materials.
With a Heatmat (UTH) under the substrate at one end of the Vivarium there should be a sufficient temperature gradient.
Hot end Temperature - 25 - 27C
Cool end Temperature - 19 - 21 C
The sand can be sieved to remove fecal matter and cricket carcasses. Sieving once weekly should keep the Vivarium clean and Once a year remove the sand and thoroughly wash and dry.
Size:
Varies with subspecies
Regular sizes(Snout to End of Tail) 2 - 3.5 Inches
Hatchling are about 1.5 - 2.5 Cm.
Weight:
Male Average Weight - 2.5 Grams
Female Average Weight - 2.8 Grams
Breeding Weight - 3.2 Grams
Gravid Average Weight - 4.3 Grams
Feeding:
Food should be no Larger than the Width of the Gecko's Head, with an exception to (Meal, Wax, Pheonix)Worms.
Feed 2 - 3 Insects to each individual gecko every 2 days, Dusting with Calcium Supplements every Second Feeding and Vitamin Supplements every Fourth Feeding.
A dish of water should be left in with the gecko's and refreshed atleast twice a week, Also Lightly mist the Tank walls as the Gecko's will lick up droplets.
Do NOT feed Wax Worms as a Staple diet as they are High in fat content, therefore only feed as a treat once or twice a month.
Sexing and Breeding:
Males after about 7 months will have Noticeable Hemipenal Bulges, Females will be larger than most males.
Sexually maturity is reached around 7 - 9 months.
The Gecko's will chirp during mating aswell as prior to and after, If a female is too young to mate or Gravid they will release a high pitched Squeak.
Females will be gravid for anything between 2 -3 weeks.
They will usually Dig a hole to Lay in and then cover the eggs with substrate or Lay in a Hide and may or may not cover the eggs with substrate.
Eggs are almost always layed over a UTH (Under Tank Heater) or they will be layed under a Heatlamp in the safest place.
If no suitable Laying sites are available Occasionally Females will not lay and will become Eggbound, which in the long term leads to death.
Incubation:
Temp - 26 - 30 C
High Humidity can Spoil Eggs.
Alteration of Humidity is not required.
Incubation can take between 50 - 70 days - Temperatures can vary the Incubation Times slightly.
If your gecko laid its eggs and you cannot find them, dont remove every hide and decoration from the Vivarium in an attempt to find them, Just leave them and they will hatch in the Vivarium.
Egg Health:
Firstly id like to add that you SHOULD NOT pick up these eggs by hand although they are Moderately thick shelled they break VERY easily.
Leave Every Egg in the Incubator Until the incubation period is over.
To move an Egg on sand Take a Table Spoon and scoop up the egg with a heap of sand under it.
Denting an Egg will not make it Infertile unless there are numerous dents.
Cracking an Egg doesnt mean its Infertile, If it cracks and Leaks its Infertile, If it Cracks and there are no fluids running dont rule it out.
For this next part LEAVE THE EGG WHERE IT IS!
After 4 - 5 weeks Candle the egg.
To candle an egg take a Torch or other source of light and shine it at one side of the egg, go to the opposite side of the egg and you will see its contents.
Clear Egg = Possibly Infertile, Leave in Incubator, Candle in later weeks.
Yellowish Egg = Chances are its Rotten, But wait for bad smell before discarding as yellowish eggs can ocassionally be fertile.
Yellow Egg + Bad Smell = Its Rotten.
Pink/Red Egg = Fertile, Later into Incubation Veins will begin to show.
Clear Egg + Yellow/Red Blob at one end = Egg has been Cracked or Rolled which has made it dry out and is therefore Infertile, However to be safe I recommend leaving it in the incubator.
Rolling an Egg does not mean its Infertile, However if an egg is rolled Excessively it will most definately end up Infertile.
If you have any Questions ask away
All information provided in this Care Sheet is from first hand experience with one or more of the below Subspecies.
Subspecies
Sthenodactylus, Petrii, Affinis, Arabicus, Doriae, Grandiceps, Khobarensis, Leptocosymbotus, Silvini.
There are more Subspecies but they are extremely rare and are protected within the countries they are found, as are many of the above named Subspecies.
Description:
The colour of these small clawed gecko's varies from dark brown to light gray, beige and dark brown being the most common colours. The back is covered with small spots with darker spots overlapping and the underbelly being white or beige, as they get closer to a shed the colouration gradually changes getting lighter.
These gecko's "Wag" thier tails, they also chirp but its no louder than your average cricket chirp, they also tend to burrow for days at a time if there is adequate space, so dont be alarmed if you havent seen your gecko for a couple of days, if they are dug down and miss a feeding either put the food into the Vivarium while they are burrowing or just wait till they surface before feeding.
Housing in Captivity:
Due to the small size of these gecko's 2 to 4 can be kept in 10 gallon vivarium, however if multiple males are housed in close proximity one male will become dominant and prevent the other male(s) from mating.
The only Substrate used should be a two to three inch deep layer of sand.
NOT CALCI-SAND ITS DEADLY, Why? Because although it may be edible and gecko's may enjoy eating it, its indigestible and causes Impaction which blocks the intestinal tract of the gecko until it either bursts, dies of malnourishment or starvation due to food not being digested properly.
If you dont Believe me, enter "The dangers of Calci-Sand" into a search engine and see for yourself.
I personally use paper towel tubes (the centre cardboard piece) cut in half as a hide, aswell as a few homemade hides.
MAJOR HEADS UP!! These gecko's dig so avoid using decor that could fall on top of them when they try to burrow, I recommend using artificial rocks and hides made of polystyrene or other extremely light materials.
With a Heatmat (UTH) under the substrate at one end of the Vivarium there should be a sufficient temperature gradient.
Hot end Temperature - 25 - 27C
Cool end Temperature - 19 - 21 C
The sand can be sieved to remove fecal matter and cricket carcasses. Sieving once weekly should keep the Vivarium clean and Once a year remove the sand and thoroughly wash and dry.
Size:
Varies with subspecies
Regular sizes(Snout to End of Tail) 2 - 3.5 Inches
Hatchling are about 1.5 - 2.5 Cm.
Weight:
Male Average Weight - 2.5 Grams
Female Average Weight - 2.8 Grams
Breeding Weight - 3.2 Grams
Gravid Average Weight - 4.3 Grams
Feeding:
Food should be no Larger than the Width of the Gecko's Head, with an exception to (Meal, Wax, Pheonix)Worms.
Feed 2 - 3 Insects to each individual gecko every 2 days, Dusting with Calcium Supplements every Second Feeding and Vitamin Supplements every Fourth Feeding.
A dish of water should be left in with the gecko's and refreshed atleast twice a week, Also Lightly mist the Tank walls as the Gecko's will lick up droplets.
Do NOT feed Wax Worms as a Staple diet as they are High in fat content, therefore only feed as a treat once or twice a month.
Sexing and Breeding:
Males after about 7 months will have Noticeable Hemipenal Bulges, Females will be larger than most males.
Sexually maturity is reached around 7 - 9 months.
The Gecko's will chirp during mating aswell as prior to and after, If a female is too young to mate or Gravid they will release a high pitched Squeak.
Females will be gravid for anything between 2 -3 weeks.
They will usually Dig a hole to Lay in and then cover the eggs with substrate or Lay in a Hide and may or may not cover the eggs with substrate.
Eggs are almost always layed over a UTH (Under Tank Heater) or they will be layed under a Heatlamp in the safest place.
If no suitable Laying sites are available Occasionally Females will not lay and will become Eggbound, which in the long term leads to death.
Incubation:
Temp - 26 - 30 C
High Humidity can Spoil Eggs.
Alteration of Humidity is not required.
Incubation can take between 50 - 70 days - Temperatures can vary the Incubation Times slightly.
If your gecko laid its eggs and you cannot find them, dont remove every hide and decoration from the Vivarium in an attempt to find them, Just leave them and they will hatch in the Vivarium.
Egg Health:
Firstly id like to add that you SHOULD NOT pick up these eggs by hand although they are Moderately thick shelled they break VERY easily.
Leave Every Egg in the Incubator Until the incubation period is over.
To move an Egg on sand Take a Table Spoon and scoop up the egg with a heap of sand under it.
Denting an Egg will not make it Infertile unless there are numerous dents.
Cracking an Egg doesnt mean its Infertile, If it cracks and Leaks its Infertile, If it Cracks and there are no fluids running dont rule it out.
For this next part LEAVE THE EGG WHERE IT IS!
After 4 - 5 weeks Candle the egg.
To candle an egg take a Torch or other source of light and shine it at one side of the egg, go to the opposite side of the egg and you will see its contents.
Clear Egg = Possibly Infertile, Leave in Incubator, Candle in later weeks.
Yellowish Egg = Chances are its Rotten, But wait for bad smell before discarding as yellowish eggs can ocassionally be fertile.
Yellow Egg + Bad Smell = Its Rotten.
Pink/Red Egg = Fertile, Later into Incubation Veins will begin to show.
Clear Egg + Yellow/Red Blob at one end = Egg has been Cracked or Rolled which has made it dry out and is therefore Infertile, However to be safe I recommend leaving it in the incubator.
Rolling an Egg does not mean its Infertile, However if an egg is rolled Excessively it will most definately end up Infertile.
If you have any Questions ask away
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